Page 190 of Mad As Hell

I turned and faced Bex. “I guess this is it.”

“Or I can grab the car and we make a run for it,” she countered, smiling.

“I can hear you,” Ash drawled from the other side of the door.

Bex giggled and went over to let him in.

Ash stopped in the doorway, his pale green eyes on me as he grinned. He looked gorgeous in black pants and a white button up that contrasted starkly with his dark skin. “Damn. New plan—Bex, get the car. Maddie, we can be in Vegas by nightfall.”

“Funny,” I deadpanned, slipping my feet into the white ballet flats I’d requested for the day. I didn’t need heels and pinched toes on my wedding day.

“I’m not kidding,” Ash countered with a devilish smirk. “I’m not nearly as much trouble as Ryan is.”

I sighed dramatically. “Yeah, but you already said he has more money than you, and we all know that’s all I care about.”

He gave a solemn nod. “Of course. What was I thinking?”

I lifted my chin with an indignant huff before my facade cracked and I started laughing. He grinned back at me.

“Bex, can you give us a minute?” I requested. “Tell Ryan we’ll be down in a sec.”

“No problem,” she assured me as she stepped around Ash.

He gave me an expectant look. “What’s up, Mads?”

Taking a deep breath, I walked over to him and grabbed his hand. “Thank you.”

He tilted his head. “For what?”

“For believing in me when the others didn’t,” I replied. “If you hadn’t looked into things, Ryan and I would still be a mess.”

“Truth,” he admitted wryly. “But Maddie, I didn’t just do it for you. I did it for him, too. Ryan’s my best friend, my brother in every way that counts. I’ve never seen him the way he is with you. Actually, that’s a lie. He used to act like that when we were kids. Before his mom died. He used to laugh and joke. Hell, he made Linc look like the serious one.”

My brows shot up.

“I know, right?” He grinned at me. “You brought back a lot of that light, Mads. You gave Ryan a reason to keep fighting, and you make him a better man.”

Tears blurred my vision and I quickly started blinking them back. Bex would kill me if I messed up my makeup.

“Thank you for giving me a part of my brother back,” he told me with all sincerity.

“Can you do me a favor?” I asked softly.

He sucked in a breath through his teeth. “Depends. If you really want me to get the car…”

I burst into laughter and shook my head. “No. I’m not running from Ryan. It’s the opposite, actually. I’m running to him with everything I’ve got.” I squeezed his hand. “But I’d really like it if you were with me when I did.”

He frowned, confused.

Shyly, I made my request and prayed he wouldn’t say no. “Walk me down the aisle and give me away?”

“Walk you down the aisle, sure,” he agreed, pulling me in for a hug, “but I’m not giving you away, Maddie. If Ryan’s my brother, you’re my sister.”

“Thanks, Ash,” I whispered around the knot of emotion in my throat.

“But we should really get downstairs before Ryan manages to get past the guys and come find you for himself.” He smiled down at me as I stepped back.

“He has zero patience,” I chided, shaking my head fondly. I wouldn’t change him in any way. I turned to the dresser and grabbed the ring Mr. Harris had given me, slipping the band onto my thumb.

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